Chartered Accountancy profession is considered one of the top most professions in the commerce stream. The statutory body regulating the CA profession is called The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI). This qualification opens the door to an infinite range of exciting career opportunities in India and all over the globe.

To become a certified Chartered Accountant, a candidate has to go through and qualify the three levels of the examination conducted by the ICAI.

The three levels of the Chartered Accountancy  course are - 

 ●  CA Foundation

 ●  CA Intermediate

 ●  CA Final

These levels have different eligibility criteria to appear, and a candidate should be well aware of them.

We have mentioned the eligibility criteria for all three levels and an overview of the course below.

CA Foundation - Course overview 

 ●  CA Foundation is the 1st level that a candidate needs to clear.

 ●  This examination is conducted by ICAI twice a year - May and November.

 ●  CA Foundation has four papers of 100 marks each.

 ●  The two papers are in subjective format, and the other two are in the objective format. Negative marking will be for the objective papers.

 ●  A student is considered as pass in the CA Foundation exam if he/she gets a minimum of 40% marks in each paper and a minimum of 50% marks in aggregate of all the papers.

Eligibility criteria for CA Foundation

 - Enroll for CA Foundation Course after passing 10th class.

 - Register for CA Foundation Course.

 - Appear in CA Foundation Exam after appearing/ clearing the Senior Secondary Examination (10+2 exam) or its equivalent recognized by 'Government of India.'

CA IPCC/ Intermediate - Course overview

 ●  After passing the CA Foundation Exam, one can join the Intermediate Course.

 ●  It's the second level after the Foundation exam level.

 ●  Earlier, this level was named CA IPCC. It is now changed and referred to as CA Intermediate. 

 ●  This level has two groups. A student may get through the groups in one or more attempts, either together or separately.

 ●  A student is considered to have passed the CA Intermediate exam if he/ she passes both the groups.

 ●  A student is considered to have passed in a group if he/she gets a minimum of 40% marks in each paper of the group and an aggregate of 50% marks in aggregate of all the papers of that group.

Eligibility criteria for CA Intermediate

 - Post passing the CA Foundation exam, one can join the CA Intermediate Course after passing Class 12th and Foundation Examination.

 - Commerce Graduates or Post-Graduates with a minimum of 55% marks can join the CA Intermediate course directly without going through the CA Foundation exam.

 - Other Graduates or Post-Graduates with a minimum of 60% marks can join the CA Intermediate course directly without going through the CA Foundation exam.

 - Candidates in the final year of graduation can register for the CA Intermediate course but on a provisional basis.

CA Final - Course overview

 ●  It is the third and last step for a candidate to become a Chartered Accountant.

 ●  CA Final course comprises of 2 groups - Group 1 and Group 2.

 ●  A candidate needs to qualify for both groups to clear this exam.

Eligibility criteria for CA Final

 - To register/appear for the Final Course, candidates need to qualify both the groups of the Intermediate Examination.

 - Students will be allowed to register in the examination during the last six months of practical training after the successful completion of 4 Weeks of the Advanced Integrated Course on Information Technology and Soft Skills.

It is advisable to the candidates to always check the eligibility criteria and get a clear understanding of the course to achieve success in the journey to become a CA.